On Fri, 13 Aug 2004 04:53:44 -0600, Graybyrd wrote:

Yet, maybe even the FCC would grant ARRL Field Day a "free ride" ... it
serves no purpose as an emergency exercise, no information of any value
whatsoever is exchanged, and sufficient equipment is knocked out of
service to ensure less QRM in the weeks and months following.

On this last point in your post, it is now I who beg to differ. Field
Day serves no useful purpose as an emergency exercise? Personal
experience here would seem to indicate otherwise.

No information of any value is exchanged? Maybe not between two
distant stations on the air, but every year at Field Day the newer
members of our club get the chance to come out and see how lots of
things are done that they haven't seen done before. They see the
equipment chosen by more experienced hams who are involved in the
emergency communications aspect of amateur radio. They see how those
hams pack up that equipment for safe transport. They see how it is set
up and used, how it is powered, how antennas are erected and
connected. That's all valuable information. of course, this assumes
that the club in question makes an effort to get those new guys to
come out and participate. ours does. Your mileage may vary.

Finally, if your equipment gets knocked out at Field Day, that in
itself is some valuable information gained, namely that someone needs
to reconsider their choice of equipment for emergency use. If that
equipment gets knocked out during an exercise, how well do you think
it is going to stand up during a *real* emergency?

John Kasupskim Tonawanda, New York
Amateur Radio (KC2HMZ), SWL/Scanner Monitoring (KNY2VS)
Member of ARES/RACES, ARATS, WUN, ARRL
http://www.qsl.net/kc2fng
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